Stephen Hawking

[malpals]

I've just been watching a programme about Stephen Hawking. I would really like to know how his voice machine works. How is it possible that he is able to "speak". How does that machine translate his thought, or is it something else. I'm not expecting an precise explanation just a general gist. It's fascinating, Thanks in advance.

[dundurn]

I imagine he'd give almost anything for a machine that could read his mind! It's very clever. but a lot simpler than that. It's a computer running a set of menus which he can control using the equivalent of mouse clicks which he selects using his facial muscles. At its most basic it's predictive text like on a mobile phone. He can select whole words and phrases where required, a bit like soundbites on television - so depending on what question he's asked he might select from 'exactly', 'almost', 'not really', 'not at all'. When he's giving lectures or contributing to a television programme like last night then only the timing has to be "real time". All the rest is a bit like saying "next slide. please" and can be prepared well in advance. From his point of view the machine is an indispensible lifeline, but television and editing makes it look a lot more simple than it is.

[malpals]

How marvellous. I didn't really think it was actually translating his thought, but neither could I work out how it WAS working. Do you know where the computer is situated.

Thanks for answering Dundurn.

[dundurn]

Yes, it's his laptop - it's mounted on the side of his chair

[malpals]

Thank you again.

[sp1214]

I was more interested in his theories about black holes and feel none the wiser.

[Lucy Thomas]

I have great admiration for Stephen Hawking but I think he is a bit pretentious. Born in Oxford but speaks with a Los Angeles accent.

[natalie_1982]

Thanks for asking this question (and answering it dundurn!) - I saw this and was pondering it myself, I knew it had to be something along those lines but couldn't quite figure it. How incredible.

I can't imagine how frustrating it will be when he has lost the use of that cheek muscle, he will not be able to communicate at all will he? This might sound really thick, but can he control his blinking? Could that be a way for him to "talk" via laptop when his cheek no longer works?

[joannie10]

i would have thought it was the computers accent - not his.

[Lucy Thomas]

Noooooooooo. Really?

[adzy31]

Stephen hawking is a brilliant human being but that programme was really pretty pants. They simplified it down to the level of pretty much secondary school physics - nothing new in there that we haven't seen before. And using metaphors like "He brought the two equations together, and they fizzed and popped, fighting each other for supremacy" or whatever it was... is just a bit patronising really.